Cooper Eugene McDaniel

I know this post is a little late but we are officially having a boy!  On October 6th we had our ultrasound and he was not shy to share his jewels with us.  Although we did not get clear pictures printed out because my amniotic fluid was extremely thick.  The tech said it is nothing to worry about but to start drinking some powerade to help thin it out.  She wanted to reschedule another ultrasound so she can get a better look at all of his organs to make sure he is progressing great.  So, on Thursday this week we will have another ultrasound and hopefully have better pictures to post!  Reid and I began our name search and knew that the middle name would be Eugene in honor of his grandfather but the first name was a challenge.  Reid finally saw things my way :-)  and Cooper Eugene McDaniel he is!

Also, we have officially reached 20 weeks!  We are halfway there!  Things are still going well and I am definitely feeling Cooper move all around, and I love it.  I have had a little issue with anxiety popping up every now and again and I just breathe and do my best to not let myself worry about the issue at hand but to focus on my son that I carry inside of me.  I am sure many moms go through the what ifs and worries and I am doing my best to just let those thoughts pass.  We are headed to Albuquerque this next weekend for a wedding and will be going through all of my nephew's old baby clothes and baby items.  We are very thankful to Alice and Todd for saving the items.  Here are the weekly questions and my picture.

Size of baby: A small cantaloupe


Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have definitely gained the last few weeks but still 1 pound down

Maternity Clothes: of course

Gender:  BOY!  Cooper Eugene McDaniel

Movement: Yep, and I love feeling him

Sleep: It sucks!  I wake up about every two hours needing to switch sides because my body just aches after laying on it.  I have many many pillows I try to prop myself up but nothing really seems to help other then switching positions, at least I fall back asleep pretty quickly.

What I miss: My boots, now that the weather has cooled off I usually where my boots most days but my feet won't stand for it.

Cravings: I have been craving a hamburger and sweet potato fries for a couple of weeks and yesterday Reid and our friends Stacey and Gabe went to lunch and I loved my burger and fries!  I've also been craving salad and for the last few nights we have been eating a salad with our dinner.

Symptoms: some swelling in my hands and feet at the end of the day.  Cry when I am tired, cry when I am hungry, cry when...well anytime 

Best moment this week: Definitely finding out what we were having and seeing his little face and naming him


And I have to leave you with a cartoon I found in the newspaper a few weeks ago and I had to cut it out.  I told Reid this will be our son four or five years from now:

18 weeks and counting!

Size of baby: A sweet potato


Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained a little back but I am still down about 4 or 4.5 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Yep, still can wear a few stretchy things I own.

Gender: We have our ultrasound set for Thursday!

Movement: I have started feeling movement usually after I eat.  It is not consistent every day but that is okay cause I know down the road the baby won't stop moving!

Sleep: I seriously hate sleeping on my left side.  I wake up multiple times to turn over or have to get up because I am hurting.  I love sleeping on my right side...and I love pillows!  Reid would tell you he can't stand how many pillows I use at night but hey gotta do what is comfortable!  Only getting up to pee 1-2 times a night so not too bad.

What I miss: wearing my shoes.  My feet have either grown or are swelling or both!  I have a select few pairs of shoes that I am able to wear right now, and none of them include my boots!!!  I will be shopping for a new shoes I can wear to work cause I can't go shoeless! 

Cravings: I was craving a bowl of pinto beans but low and behold Reid told me he was going to put a pot on this weekend!  So yesterday I got my bowl of beans with some cheese (yes you heard me right). 

Symptoms: headaches occasionally and starting to swell in the feet and hands. 

Best moment this week: Feeling Bean moving around.


Reid and I had a busy weekend.  On Friday we went to the Southern New Mexico State Fair with friends and had a lovely time...but man do I hate being on my feet for long periods of time!  On Saturday we got up early and started putting our office in order.  Now you might say well goodness you have lived in that house since April but it has taken us this long to finally get our nice heavy book shelves placed in the house.  Our friend Gabe came out on Friday and helped Reid carry them from the garage to the office so now we were able to put things where they belong.  If you know my husband you know he has a tone of notebooks from all of his classes so they finally have a home on the bookshelves they carried in.  We also decided we needed to drain our pool because we had lots of leaves and creatures in it and we do not have a winter cover.  We came to town and rented a pump and let the entire pool drain into our yard.  By the time it was all said and done we had 5 centipedes at the bottom of the pool and all were somewhere between 6 and 10 inches long...can you say NASTY!  Back in May we bought Alice and Todd's pop-up trailer that they purchased from Aunt Ruth and Uncle Kenny.  So on Saturday we pulled it around to the front and unloaded the baby items Alice, Todd, Braeden and Paege have passed down to Bean.  They gave us a stroller, swing, high chair, rocking horse, sun shade and a hiking backpack.  They also saved all of the baby clothes so once we know if Bean is a boy or girl we will go to Albuquerque to pick it all up.  Next up we will be picking out our crib and carseat!